Commencement Speeches: The Graduation Advice We Were Too Young to Appreciate

There is something delightfully ironic about commencement speeches. At the exact moment people are least interested in sitting still and listening, some notable steps up to a podium and delivers a carefully crafted sermon about life, purpose, resilience, and possibility.

After spending more than a decade of my midlife career as a school administrator, I have attended enough graduation ceremonies to earn an honorary doctorate in uncomfortable folding chairs and ceremonial polyester. I have heard the soaring metaphors, the inspirational anecdotes, the encouragement to strive, and endless references to “journeys.”

Most graduates, understandably, are too busy thinking about dinner reservations, student loan payments, or where the after-party is happening to fully absorb the wisdom being handed down from the stage.

But lately, I’ve started to think commencement speeches may have been written for women over 60 all along.

Maybe This Is Our Real Graduation

If there is any group of people standing on the edge of a wide-open, uncertain, exciting next chapter, it’s us. Women in later life are reinventing careers, leaving marriages, launching businesses, downsizing homes, traveling solo, dating again, relocating, caregiving, retiring, unretiring, or simply asking themselves the big question that feels both thrilling and terrifying:

What now?

The Surprisingly Poignant Wisdom of Roger Federer

That question hit me recently while researching a story about retirement reinvention and stumbling across Roger Federer’s 2024 commencement address at Dartmouth College.

There he was, arguably one of the greatest athletes of all time, admitting that he, too, was figuring out his next steps. “Like you,” he told graduates, “I’m figuring out what that is.”

Honestly? That may be the most comforting thing any post-60 woman can hear, because somewhere along the line, society decided that older women are supposed to have arrived already. We’re expected to know exactly who we are, what we want, how to do Medicare enrollment without tearing out our hair, and what we should wear to stay stylish in the process.

Many of us are not winding down. Instead we are waking up to a wide-open landscape, and that’s exactly why commencement speeches suddenly resonate with us. When we listen through the lens of a woman entering her next act, the messages become surprisingly relevant. The themes are timeless: choose courage over comfort, remain curious, stay connected, expect setbacks, keep growing anyway.

Why “Yes… And” Feels Like the Perfect Midlife Philosophy

In her 2012 address at Smith College, Jane Lynch spoke about the improvisational principle of “Yes… and.” The idea is simple: accept what life hands you, and then build from it. Don’t resist. Don’t deny. And definitely don’t spend years wishing things had gone differently.

“Yes… and.”

It feels like the perfect philosophy for later life. Yes, our lives may not look exactly as we imagined at 25… and maybe that’s not a tragedy. Maybe the divorce becomes freedom. Maybe the empty nest becomes possibility. Maybe the layoff becomes the business idea. Maybe the loss becomes the thing that finally teaches us how precious time really is. Lynch’s advice feels especially meaningful for women stepping into unfamiliar territory after decades spent taking care of everyone else first.

Reinvention Requires a Little Foolishness

Starting over requires a willingness to look foolish occasionally, which is unfortunate because many of us spent our 50s trying very hard not to.

Which brings us, naturally, to Steve Jobs and his legendary 2005 commencement address at Stanford University, which remains iconic for one enduring line: “Stay hungry. Stay foolish.”

That line lands differently after 60, too.

Because being “foolish” at this age might mean signing up for the painting class, launching the Substack, wearing the sequined skirt, taking the solo trip, learning pickleball, falling in love again, or admitting you still want more from life.

And hunger? That’s not something to apologize for but instead is an invitation to become more ourselves than ever before?

More curious.

More expressive.

More daring.

More alive.

Maybe that’s why commencement speeches resonate now in a way they never did at 22. At this age, we understand that reinvention is not a straight line. We know failure is both inevitable and survivable. We appreciate the value of friendships, resilience, humor, and good habits around wearing sunscreen and making movement part of our daily routine. Mostly, we understand that possibility does not have an expiration date, and neither do we.

So perhaps we should start treating this chapter like our own private commencement ceremony – minus the polyester robes and ridiculous caps.

That deserves a standing ovation.

A Few More Commencement Speeches Worth Revisiting

• Kerry Washington — George Washington University, 2013
• Michelle Yeoh — Harvard Law School, 2023
• Melinda French Gates — Stanford University, 2024

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Which commencement speeches have held the most meaning for you? Have you made a graduation speech?